Take-up device for knitting-machines.



L. N. D. WILLIAMS. TAKE-UP-Dnvros ron xmms@ momma,

Humano! num :1mi 19. 1913. 1,129,935. Patented Mar. 2,1915..

(Smv l TAKELUIDEVI'CE ,non KNIrTING-MAcHINEs.

Specification of Letters Yatent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

Application' nica im: Ie, 191s. serial softness.

T0 all whom. it may concern Be it known that I, LoUIs.N. D. WIL- LIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing in Ogontz, Pennsylvania, `have invented certain Im lrovements inTake-Up Devices for Knitting-Machines,.of which the following is a specification. f.. l `The ob'ect ofmy invention 'is to produce a ribbed imitted fabric of diiferenttexture in different courses, an objeetjwhich .I attain 'in-the manner hereinafter setforth, reference being had tothe .accompanying drawing, in which -v I. y Figure 1 illustrates, partly inside elevation and partly in vertical section, al knitting machine constructed for carryin i out my invention; Fig. 2 a side view il ustratinga modification-of my invention, and Fig,.8 a vertical Asectional .view illustratingI [another modication of. the same.

In producing a ribbed., kniete ,webf'gr certain articles of apparel, suchgasladies undershirts or vests, 1t is advisable .to make some portionsof the web, such, for instance, as those intended tojproducethe bustend skirt portions of theshirt, Wyider. thany the other portions,such, for instance,.asthcsel intended to produce .the waist,portionof the shirt. This has been heretofore 'accomplished by knitting thebustand skirtportions with tuck stitches and the waist ortion withl plain stitches which has the e ect of. contracting the fabricainjsaid .waist por.- tionf- An objection to this-fabric, however, is that'the bust and skirt portionsjyare relatively coarse and.- heavy as compared .with the waist portion. In orderito overcome this objection a fabric having plain .stitches throughout 4has beendevisedhsuch. ,fabric having a relatively heavy arn ingthe bust and skirt portions and a; nerzyarn in. the waist portion.

In carrying out myr inventionI Fproduce or. aidin the productionglof the v4changein texture by changing the ,distancefibetween the knitting edgeof the needle cylindergand the tensioning take-up `device withwhich the knitting machine is usually .provided@ I may knit the fabricwith yarnAOf-,thesame character throughout relym'g; ,wholly upon the change in the 'durationf'off-:the .tension period for modifying thetexture. ofv-theyweb m one portion as compared witht'hat-In another portion, but I prefer, to ,lcnitgthevveb in accordance with thesecondmethod. above referred to, that rie to saybygusing ta'.x jela i edge. o

tively heavy yarn in those portions of the web which are to be of the greater diameter and a finer yarn in those portions of the web which are tovbe of the lesser diameter.

The preferable method of eiiectinfT change in the relation of the tensioning taIre-up to the knitting edge of the needle cylinder 1s to employ two ofsuch take-up devices, one above the other, and to use the one which is nearest the knitting edge of the cylinder when knitting the web of? greater diameter and the one which .is farthest from the knitting edge of thecylinder when knitting the web of lesser diameter. The same object can, however, be attained bythe use of a single take-up device which is so mounted upon the frameiof themachine as to be adjustable .toward or .from the knitting edge of the cylinder, .or a single take-up device may be used in combination with a reducing ring on the inside ofthe needle cylinder, this ring beingadjustable so .that when it is in its contracted condition it .will deflect the web-in its passage'from the upper edge of the'cylinderto the take-up rolls and when in its expandedconditionwill permit the web to jpass in-a direct course from the upper thev needle cylinder to said take-up rolls.` l, 5 ,In Fig. 1 of theldrawing I have illustrated the machine as equipped with two take-up devices one above the other. These take-up devices y may Vbe similar to those heretofore employed/Which, in .addition to taking up the-.webasproduced also serve to impart tensionthereto. Each take-up consists of a pair'voffrolls l-Lcarried by shafts 2 2 mounted in/bearings vin a vertically swinging frame fwhich isgpivoted at 4 on some member of'the xed frame of the machine, the bearingsl for oneof the shafts 2 being xed-nnd'those for the other shaft 2 being acted, upon bysprings 5 so as to normally maintain the,rolls 1 in driving contact with the knitted web which passes down between them.: Thatnlone'1 oftheshafts .2 which is adapted torstationary bearings is provided with a worm-wheel driven by a worm 7 on a'shaft which is also provided with a bevel wheel, .the flatter`l ,meshing with -a bevel wheel 9 cna shaft 10 provided with a pulley 11.1, Inlthe case ofthe upper take-up mechanism `thisspulley is driven by a belt 19. from a pulleycn the main driving shaft 13 of the machine but-in` the casefof the lower take-upmechanism said pulley 11 is driven by a belt ll from a pulley 15 on the shaft 10 of the upper take-up device. The weight of the lake-up rolls. and their hanger 3 and the driving mechanism for the rolls, is borne by the knitted web which is therefore subjected to tension dependent upon the weight of the take-up mechanism. If, therefore, the upper sct ot' take-up mechanism is in action such tension will be exerted throughout a shorter length of web and time than if the lower set of take-up mechanism is operative and the upper sct is released from the web. I have found that this change has a material eil'ect in varying the texture of the knitted web. the rulel being that the longer tension period best agrees with the production of web ot' line texture and the lesser period with the production of web of fuller or coarser texture. In connection with the two sets of take-up mechanism, therefore, I employ means for rendering at will either set of take-up mechanism operative upon the knitted web and the other set inoperative. The means shown in the drawing for accomplishing this result are a bell crank lever 1G mounted upon the shaft of the movable `take-up roiil' 1, the short arm of this lever bearing against a shoulder 17 on the roll carrying frame and the long arm of the lever being connected by a link 18 tov an arm 19 on a hub 20, the latter being mounted so as to be free to turn on the pivotpin 4 of the take-up roll carrying frame and having another arm 21 which is connected by a link 22 to an arm 23 pivoted upon a stud 24 on the upper portion of the supporting frame work of the machine, this arm being under control ot' a pattern chain 25 carried by a drum 2G to which intermittent movements of partial rotation are imparted by mechanism which may be similar to that ordinarily employed in knitting machines for operating the pattern chain drums thereof.

The pattern chain carries lugs 27 which are in ditl'erent planes, one coinciding with that of one of the arms 23 and the other with that of the other arm. lVhen either arm 23 is lifted it will, through the medium of the connecting devices described, swing outward, in the direction of the arrow .'12, the bell crank lever 1G cooperating therewith, thereby separating the corresponding take-u roll 1 from the opposite roll and rendering the take-up mechanism for the time being inoperative, as shownV in the lower set of take-up mechanism in Fig. 1 of the drawing. When, however, the arm 23 rests upon the surface of the pattern chain 25 the bell crank lever 1G is free to move in the direction of the arrow y and the spring 5 therefore presses the movable take-up roll 1 toward the opposite roll and thereby renders the take-up mechanism active, as shown in the upper' set. By a proper disposition of the lugs 27 upon the pattern chain 25, therefore, either of the take-up devices can be put into action simultaneously with the putting out of action of the other. Each of the links 1S is slotted for the reception of the pin on the coperating arm .19 so that the rising and falling movements of the take-up roll carrier will not, when the rolls are 1n operative relation, cause separation of said rolls.

In Fig. 2 I have illustrated a single takeup mechanism .vertically adjustable on the fixed frame of the machine so as to vary its relation to the edge of the knitting cylinder, the 'take-up carrying frame 3 in this case being pivoted to a shaft L which is mounted upon a slide 30 adjustable vertically on a vertical web 31 which constitutes part of the fixed frame of the machine. lVhe-n a vertically adjustable take-up device of this character is used the belt 12 which drives the pulley 11 will have to be changed when the change in the vertical adjustment of the take-up mechanism is effected or a belt tightener will have to be employed to automatically take up or ylet out the belt 12, as re vuire'd.'

n Fig. 3 I have shown the machine as provided with a ring 32 inside of the knitting cylinder, this rin being so constructed that it can be expan ed asshown by full lines in order to permit the web to pass directly from the edge of the knitting cylinder to a take-up device or so as to be contracted in order to deliect the web as shown by dotted lines and thus increase the distance between the edge of the knitting cylinder and the take-up rolls.

I claim:

1. As a means for varyin the texture of a knitted web, the combination of the knitting machine with -means for applying tension to the web at one or the other of two relatively fixed points at different distances from the knitting point, and means' for changing the point of application of tension when it is desired to change the texture of the web.

' 2. As a means for varyin the texture of a knitted web, the combination of the knitting machine with' two tensioning take-u devlces, each permanently located at a de nite distance from the knitting edge of the needle ,carrier and one bein farther removed from'said ed e than t e other, and means for causin t ese devices to engage alternately with t e knitted web.

3. As a means f varying the texture of a knitted web, the combination of two tensioning take-up devices located at differeni` distances from the knittin edge of the needle cylinder and each havin web engag ing rolls, one of which is mova le from anc toward the other, a pattern chain, a pair ol annsacted upon thereby, and means where by one of said arms is caused to act upm the movable roll of one take-up device and the other is caused to act upon the movable roll of the other takeu device to move the same from and towar the roll which cooperates therewith.

4. The combination, in a take-up device, of web engaging rolls one of which is movnble from and toward the other, a pattern chain, an arm acted on thereby, a lever actinfr upon the shaft of the movable take-u ro and connections between said arm an lever whereby movement of the arm is caused to effect movement of the take-up roll. into or out of operative relation with its coperating roll, said connections being slotted to compensate for movement of the take-up roll carrier.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS N. D. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

KATE A. BEADLE, HAMILTON D. TURNER.

Copiea of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente, Washington, D. 0. 

